My custom built computer experience

[Dodge7]

I just couldn't seem to get around to building my own computer like I planned. And my 800 Mhz Win 98SE computer was getting a little quircky, so I decided on the next best thing [I thought] - a custom built computer.

I actually just needed a basic system, like the $450 Compaq, monitor included special would have been fine with me. My main reason for getting a custom computer was:

1. I thought the design and case would be make easy to add components, and changes things later.

2. I thought the people at such a store would be more experts than at a typical retail store.

At least I was right on count #1. As for #2, on my first visit to the custom computer store [a chain on in the west, I'll call PC"group".] I found the salesman couldn't tell me the number of USB ports on the display computer I was looking at, and couldn't turn off the demo so I could actually see Windows running on the dislplay model.

Still, I forked out $450, for the model I saw on display, with an extra 256 mbyte of memory. The display model they showed me had three empty bays, 6 USB ports, a 2 Ghz celeron, floppy, intel board, and audio connectors in the front. [Having an audio connector on the front was important to me.]

Only...the model I took out of the box at home was smaller, only one free bay, 4 USB ports, and no audio connector in the front. I took it back and was told this was the new model [to their credit, it was properly listed in the flyer they gave me]. I was told the one I saw on the shelf, was being phased out. They suggested just putting the guts of my computer in that other case, but I pointed out the mother board probably didn't have the extra connectors anyway. They found I was right. [It was around this time I knew that these guys weren't technical]

So, they said could give me the display model if I wanted. I decided to stay with the "lessor" computer I got, as they gave me better speakers with a *amplfied* headphone connector on them, which solved that problem.

So I headed back home....only to find there was no modem card included. I called them, and was told "most people use broardband, so we don't include phone modem cards..." I beg to disagree...

Anway, I got the computer running and online by the end of the weekend. I know I should have thought it over a little more careful from the start, and maybe paid attention to the fact that almost no one in the store seemed to be much more than a gamer, that is, they weren't the computer geeks I thought I would find.

Later, my brother told me he had heard warnings about these custom built computer places, staffed by teenagers [no offense to the teens in THIS forum, I wish one of you had been working there].

Sigh, I sould have got that Compaq with monitor, or just taken the time to build it myself.

PS. I spent the last part of my weekend at an auto store and pet store.... a nice change :<)

Dodge

[nubbler]

With a PC that you build, you not only know excatly what you get but you learn stuff and it's easier than one might think.

[Dodge7]

Yeah. Especially now, - in trying to fix a file association problem on my *old computer* I ran Windows install and instead of reintalling the missing program and link it destroyed the quick launch and now Windows explorer crashes all the time. So I had to wipe the disk and re-install Windows. So now, I am learning about getting drivers, bios, ect.... and moving the modem card around to get it recognized, etc. At this rate, and with what I had to do with the new computer, I'll have built a computer by proxy :>)